


Run For Your Life

by demonprincess7



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alien Planet, Alternate Universe, Penlock, Series 1, Venus 12, manipulative TARDIS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-17
Updated: 2013-04-19
Packaged: 2017-12-08 18:43:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/764752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonprincess7/pseuds/demonprincess7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: Rose never ran away with the Doctor. After saving the world from the living plastic Autons, Rose decided to stay behind with Mickey and her mother.  A year later, she meets the Doctor again and Rose realizes that she may have made a mistake. </p><p>This work is also posted on fanfiction.net under the same name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Something Blue

_This is it_ , thought Rose as she admired her reflection. Shareen stood behind her in the mirror and fussed over her hair.

 

“This isn’t quite right Rose. Are you sure you don’t want something more, um, up?” Shareen asked.

 

“No. I’d rather have it down some. Mickey always says it looks beautiful down. Like golden sunlight. He’s not usually very romantic so you’ve gotta give ‘im credit for that one.”

 

“Alright. You’re all set then. You look gorgeous Rose.” Shareen’s reflection smiled at her.

 

“Thanks,” Rose bit her lip. “Do you think this is right? Am I doing the right thing here? Because I don’t know, I mean I love Mickey, but it’s all so,” She sighed. “I don’t know. Just forget it.”

 

“All I know is you look beautiful and Mickey’s going to love you. You two are great together. You’ll make each other happy.”

 

“Aren’t we happy now?”

 

“Rose!” Jackie squealed as she opened the door. “Oh, Rose you look gorgeous!”

 

“Thanks mum.” She smiled.

 

“You really should have your hair up sweetheart. A nice bun maybe,” Jackie twisted Rose’s hair up how she’d like it to demonstrate.

 

“No, mum. I like it just fine. Leave it how it is.” Rose said just as her mother began to cry. “Oh, mum don’t. You’re gonna get me cryin’ , too.”

 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. You just look perfect. Your father would be so proud. Oh, Rose!” She hugged her daughter careful not to step on her gown. “Wait a moment! I almost forgot,” Jackie walked over to a bag of things the girls had brought with them to get ready. Out of the bag she pulled out a hair pin with a small blue flower on it. “Your something blue,” She pushed the pin gently into Rose’s hair and smiled.

 

“Thanks mum.”

 

Someone opened the door and spoke to Shareen for a moment before disappearing.

 

“Rose they’re ready for you.” Shareen said.

 

“Just give me a moment, would you?”

 

“Sure. I’ll wait outside,” Shareen left the room and closed the door behind her.

 

“I’ll go ahead and take my seat. See you soon.” Jackie followed Shareen out.

 

As soon as she was alone, Rose felt that she might cry. Her stomach ached and her head felt light. _Are these normal premarital butterflies? Or is something wrong here?_ She sat down and relaxed for a minute. _I don’t really want to marry Mickey. I never really did. I love Mickey he’s a good boyfriend, but…_ _But what?_

 

There was something missing. Something Rose couldn’t quite think of was driving her mental. Somehow her thoughts had wandered off to the strange man with the blue box. She hadn’t seen him in about a year. Rose wondered what he would be doing right now. _Probably off seeing unbelievable things and doing unbelievable things. Why can’t I do unbelievable things?_ She suddenly realized that her thoughts hadn’t wandered at all, but rather her mind had being trying to tell her this for a while. She had been so caught up in all the excitement and the wedding plans that she didn’t realize what she was missing.

 

Rose didn’t know it, but her life was missing the Doctor. She found herself thinking back to the night he left.

 

***

 

“You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me.” Rose said teasing.

 

     “Yes, I would. Thank you,” the Doctor said looking sincere. “Right then! I'll be off! Unless, uh... I don't know... you could come with me.”

 

Rose looked at him and put her hands in her pockets contemplating his offer.

 

        “This box isn't just a London hopper, you know, it goes anywhere in the universe free of charge.”

 

       “Don't! He's an alien! He's a thing!” Mickey shouted.

 

        “He's NOT invited. What do you think? You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go, uh... anywhere,” the Doctor said rather convincingly.

 

     Rose hesitated. “Is it always this dangerous?”

 

     “Yeah.”

 

     “Yeah, I can't. I've um... gotta go and find my mum and um, someone's gotta look after this stupid lump...” She forced a small laugh. “So…”

 

      “Okay,” The Doctor looked disappointed. “See you around.” Looking sad and uncertain, the Doctor closed the door and was gone.

 

       After a moment Rose said, “Come on, let’s go.” Mickey stared in shock at the empty space. Rose wished he come back and take her away after all. He could come back and say anything, anything at all, and she would go without question. But he didn’t come back. She could only blame herself.

 

      “C’mon,” Rose said pulling Mickey to his feet. “Come on.”

 

***

 

“Shareen, I’m not getting married.” Rose said as she opened the door. She gathered her dress in her arms and ran out of the church. The Doctor’s voice echoed in her head. “Run,” he said. “Run for your life.”

 

After a while, she stopped to catch her breath. She wasn’t quite sure where she was any more. It wasn’t any part of London that she recognized and she’d here her whole life. Her feet ached and hair was a bit tossed and disheveled. The flower pin had fallen out of her hair somewhere along the way. She pulled her high heels off and held the straps in her hand as she took another look around. Rose was just thinking she should start heading back the way she came when she heard a sound. It was nearby. It was familiar. It was the Doctor.

 

Rose looked around. That old blue box wasn’t anywhere in sight. She started walking in the direction that she’d though she heard it come from. Her feet were horribly blistered and she limped a bit as she walked. After walking another block, she gave up her search. Rose was tired and feet felt like they had been torn to shreds. She sat down on the curb and sighed. Where are you? I know I heard you. I know it.

 

There was a creaking sound behind her, footsteps and then the shutting of a door. Rose turned and looked. Right behind her stood a man with blue eyes, big ears, and a worn old leather jacket. Had she been more observant she would have seen the police box tucked just in the shadows of an alley.

 

The Doctor looked different from when Rose had last seen him. He had a small scar above his left eye. It was the sort of scar that’ll fade in a year or so. Rose thought he looked worn and sad. He looked so alone. When he saw Rose sitting there, surprise lit up his face. His face relaxed into its emotionless mask. His natural defense against anything too human.

 

“Doctor,” Rose said.

 

“Rose Tyler,” was the Doctor’s reply.


	2. Should Be Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding each other again, a series of malfunctions seem to occur within the TARDIS.

_“Doctor,” Rose said._

_“Rose Tyler,” was the Doctor’s reply._

 

Rose stood carefully on her feet. “How’ve you been?”

 

“Fantastic. What about you? That’s a bit of a fancy dress to be walking around London in.” He said with a small smirk.

 

“It’s kind of a long story.” Having found the Doctor again, Rose wasn’t sure what to say. Should she cut to the chase and tell him that she’d changed her mind? What if he didn’t what her to go with him anymore? After all it had been a whole year.

 

The Doctor found himself facing a similar dilemma. He wasn’t certain just how long it had been for her since the Auton attack, but after all the girl was standing in front of him in a wedding dress. He had arrived in this time by accident. The TARDIS had taken control, as she often likes to do, and brought him here for something. He had no idea what.

 

“Well I’ve haven’t actually got much to do. If you’d like to tell me about it.”

 

They sat together on the curb and Rose told the Doctor the story of how she and Mickey got engaged with his nervous (but very sweet in a Mickey sort of way) proposal of, “So, Rose I don’t know how you’d feel about this, but I think you’re really great and I thought it would be really great if you and me… I mean if we… I mean- well, I thought we could get married. If you want.” Rose had said yes with a giggle and a smile and that was that. From then on it was all ribbons and flowers. When she got to the part where she ran off, she paused. The guilt hitting home felt like getting hit by a bus. In fact she thought she’d rather jump in front of one than see the look on his face when she sees him again. _When I see him again?_ Rose thought. _What I’m talking about? I’ve got to go back right now. I’ve got to say something. Maybe it’s not too late… Too late for what? Maybe the Doctor can zap me back in his spaceship._

The Doctor on the other hand had been oddly disappointed when she said she was marring Mickey. Rose was one of the most interesting people he’d ever met. He’d never quite gotten over the disappointment when she didn’t come with him. However when she got to the part where she ran off, the Doctor found himself rather excited. He could try again. He would get her to come traveling with him this time. Before he had told her it was dangerous and she had stayed. Was it the danger she was afraid of or was it something else? Either way he knew he had to ask again. He could ask her for just one chance to show her how much excitement and how much fun she could have all over the universe. _Where would we go? The past? The Future?_ He wanted to impress her. Somehow he thought the past would be too predictable for Rose. If she wanted the past she could read a history book. No, the future would be far more exciting for a first time.

 

_I could at least ask him… Maybe he’d still want me to go with him._ Rose thought.

 

“Doctor?” Rose said as jumped to her feet forgetting about how sore they were and catching herself on the Doctor’s shoulder. “Oops, sorry.”

 

“What’s wrong?” He asked concerned as he stood. He held her arm in case she stumbled again.

 

“My feet. I ran barefoot. Ran pretty far, too,” She let out a small laugh. Rose lifted her foot so they both could see the damage. “That’s really bad isn’t it?” When she’d jumped to her feet the skin had turned a nasty red color and started to swell.

 

“Come on. I’ve got just thing for that.” He put her arm over his shoulder and helped her best as he could into the TARDIS. He led her through the console room, down the hall, and into the nearest room which, thanks to the TARDIS, was the med bay.

 

He helped her sit and turned away to get something out of a tall cabinet. It took him a minute to find the right jar, but once he had it, he turned and showed it to Rose looking triumphant. He knelt in front of her holding the jar.

 

“Let me see.” She held he foot out for him and he poured the strange goopy mess all over one foot then the other.

 

“What is that stuff?” Rose asked wrinkling her nose, but not protesting.

 

“Penlock saliva,” He said as he returned the jar to its place. “A man on Venus 12 swears by it.”

 

“Alright then. Penlock saliva,” The pain was gone and swelling was slowly fading away. “No more running for me. It’s not worth all the trouble. Barefoot, that is.”

 

 After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, the Doctor finally spoke. “So, you’ll be wanting to get back then? To your mum and that Rickey of yours.”

 

“His name’s Mickey,” Rose sighed. “Yeah, I’ve gotta tell them something. All those people expecting a wedding and all.”

 

“I know I asked you once before, but I forgot to mention…” He hesitated not waiting her to reject his offer all over again. He’d been alone so long that he had forgotten how pleasant human company can be. The Doctor wasn’t ready for Rose Tyler to leave just yet. Not again.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“My ship, the TARDIS. Did I mention that it also travels in time?”

 

_Wait. Does he mean…_ “You want me to come with you?”

 

“Well, unless you’ve got something better to do.”

 

“No,” she said a bit too quickly. “I mean, I’d like that, to go with you, traveling.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“So we’re going then?”

 

“If you really want me to.”

 

The Doctor smiled. “Alright then Rose Tyler-” The TARDIS lurched and threw Rose and the Doctor to floor. They could hear the engines start up and the TARDIS flew right into the time vortex. The Doctor got to his feet and ran to the console room with Rose just behind him.

 

He reached the console and started pushing button and turning dials frantically. “What’s going on?” Rose asked sounding panicked.

 

“I don’t know she just took off. The whole ship is locked down I can’t control her. It’s activated defensive maneuvers as it’s been attacked from the inside. I can’t stop it.”

 

“Where are we? Can’t we just go outside and let it cool down or something?”

 

“Possibly, if we were still on Earth.”

 

“What do you mean? Where are we then?”

 

“It’s called the time vortex. It’s sort how the TARDIS moves through time and space. We’ve been pulled into it and we’re just sitting, not going anywhere.”

 

“Okay. So, what do we do then?”

 

“There’s we can do now. We’ll have to wait for defenses to go down so I can get us back.”

 

“Okay.”

 

The Doctor sighed. “Looks like we’re stuck here for a bit.” He crossed his arms and stared at the console as if that might cox it into dropping the defenses. Rose sat in the seat behind him and looked at him.

 

“So, what’s a penlock?”

 

He turned around to look at her and leaned against the console. “They’re sort of like lizards. Reptilian. They the can regenerate they’re own body parts if they get torn off or injured. Their saliva can heal small injuries on other beings.”

 

“Can you show me? A penlock I mean.”

 

The Doctor smiled. “Well, we’d have to go to Venus 12.”

 

“Okay.”

 

The TARDIS jerked and pitched them both to the floor again as something forced the TARDIS to start up and suddenly the ship was moving again. They got to their feet as the TARDIS materialized in some unknown location. The Doctor checked the monitor. The screen was black. Everything was locked down once again.

 

“What happened?” Rose asked. “Are we back on Earth now?”

 

The Doctor shook his head. “I don’t think so. The gravity reading is wrong, but I can’t get anything to work to check the coordinates.”

 

“So, we’re on another planet? An _alien_ planet?”

 

“Are you scared?”

 

“No.” Rose wasn’t scared. She was excited.

 

“Good.”

 

“Can we go outside?”

 

“Should be safe enough. Probably.”

 

Rose smiled and ran to the door. She paused and took a steadying breath before pulling the door open and stepping out into what looked like warm sunlight.

 

The Doctor followed after her, but stopped before he reached the door. He turned and looked at the console. “I know what you’re doing. You had better behave yourself.” The TARDIS hummed its acknowledgement as the Doctor turned to follow Rose.

 

 


	3. A Little Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped on an alien planet, Rose and the Doctor decide to make the best of it.

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS and looked around. It was the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. The grass and hills were the richest of greens and sky the deepest of blues. The flowers in the meadow before her looked like honey. Even the many leafless trees were beautiful. It was peaceful and quiet. The only sound came from the warm breeze.

 

She was completely in awe. She hadn’t been sure what to expect when she walked out of those doors, but she couldn’t have imagined it would be like this. She had at least expect an alien planet to at least be, well, alien. It looked practically normal. It wasn’t so different from Earth. There were no birds and the sky was a bit too dark, but the sunlight felt warm. The air was clean and fresh.

 

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and looked around. He sighed. _Meddlesome TARDIS._

 

“It’s gorgeous.” Rose was smiling. She was practically glowing. “Where are we?”

 

“Looks like Venus 12. We’ll be seeing those penlocks after all.” Rose thought the Doctor looked a bit upset. Something about their being there made him unhappy.

 

“How did that happen? We were only just talking about it."

 

“The TARDIS is a bit psychic,” He explained. “She likes to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong.” He sort of shouted back at the TARDIS as if he thought she could hear him. She could.

 

“She?”

 

“Ships are always ‘she’,” The Doctor said defensively.

 

“Okay. Why here though?”

 

“You said you wanted to see penlocks. She thought you’d like it here.”

 

“I’m not complaining. I was only wondering.”

 

He took her hand. “Off we go then.” Together they ran off looking for penlocks. The Doctor seemed know where he was going and Rose was content to follow without _too_ many more questions.

 

“Why does it look so much like Earth?”

 

“How do you know Earth doesn’t just look like Venus 12. Stupid apes always like to think of themselves and never think maybe they’re the real aliens.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“It’s a rock, Rose.”

 

“Why’s it so purple?”

 

“Why are you so pink? It’s the way it’s made, isn’t it?”

 

It didn’t take too long to get where they were going. They stopped in the middle of a field surrounded on three sides by tall green mountains.

 

“There.” The Doctor pointed to a small rocky area. “Be real quiet so they don’t run off.” The walked quietly toward the rocks and stopped a few feet away. Lying on the rocks, basking in the warm sunlight, was what looked at lot like an iguana only twice as big and a gray purple color. It also seemed to be iridescent but it was hard for Rose tell from where they stood. She moved a bit closer.

 

“It’s very pretty.”

 

“They’re very friendly, too. They won’t mind us being here so long as we go around shoutin’.” The Doctor sat down on the soft green grass. Rose could see a second penlock climb up over the rock near the other one. After a few moments a third came crawling along, then a fourth. The tail of a smaller fifth penlock could be seen sticking out from behind another rock.

 

“There’s so many of them.”

 

“They live in large groups, dens underground.” The Doctor offer sounding distracted. Rose could tell he wasn’t really paying attention to her. He had lain back on the grass and was watching the sky, thinking intently about something entirely different from penlocks and whatever Rose was saying.

 

It didn’t bother her though. She was enjoying the strange alien creatures and the way they seemed to look her with little concern and only mild curiosity. One of them was different from the others. Instead of being the same purple-grey, it was black. It stayed over in the shadowy parts of the rocks and the others seem to keep their distance from it. If the penlocks weren’t afraid of a creature they had never seen before, what would make them afraid of one of their own? Rose walked over to the rocks to investigate. Some of the penlocks eyed her cautiously but, they stayed where they were and otherwise ignored her.

 

The black penlock however backed away from her. Once she’d taken a step to close, it scurried away down the rocks and around to the side out of sight. Rose chased after it. She spotted the penlock just as it slipped through a hole under the rocks. Rose ran over to the hole and peered in. It was too dark to see in side very well, but it looked like it went down a ways at an angle. It was just big enough that Rose could fit through if she squeezed. So naturally she tried it out. Her head and shoulders fit through just fine, it was that stupid wedding dress that was giving her trouble. She pulled and pushed and tugged and heaved until finally she fell head first down the penlock hole.

 

She was lying on her stomach about four feet down from the entrance. There was a short but wide tunnel in front of her that opened out into a larger area, coming from which was a source of light that looked a lot like fire. She crawled slowly forward and into the lit chamber. There was enough space for her to stand and she slowly got to her feet. The chamber was very big and full of old tree roots. The trees that had once been attached to them must have been about where there were now only rocks. There was a fire burning in the middle of the chamber.

 

Something moved behind the tree roots to her left. Slowly, something large and black crawled toward her, its long claws scraped against the rocks in the floor. As it moved into the firelight, Rose could see that it was a massive penlock, bigger than any other. If it stood on its back legs, it would have easily been taller than the Doctor. It looked directly at Rose and hissed; burning sparks flying out from behind its teeth. Rose backed slowly toward the tunnel, but her back hit the wall. The beast crouched low and then began to charge at her.

 

***

 

The Doctor stared up at the sky and thought about the TARDIS. She had somehow decided that she wanted Rose to come along, that much he could tell for certain. Why else would she bring him to that planet at that time and that exact alley way? Then she pulled that stunt lugging them into the vortex to keep her from leaving until he’d asked her to come along. If she had said no, would they still be there, back in the TARDIS with no control? What if he hadn’t brought her into the TARDIS to begin with? Would she have looked down the controls until he brought Rose along? What made his TARDIS think that Rose Tyler is so special that she has to come with him?

 

Once Rose was back in the TARDIS, it was if she had always been there. It was like she had never left the TARDIS and they’d traveled together all that time. He was comfortable with Rose, he trusted her. He knew he wasn’t wrong when he chose her to be his companion. He just wished that Rose had thought the same and come along with him in the first place.

 

When did he get so side-tracked? He had been thinking about the TARDIS. She seemed to have some grand plan to get Rose to stay permanently and not just for a round trip or maybe this was her plan; trapping them alone together on a beautiful practically harmless planet. Well it wasn’t going to work if he had anything to say about it. If Rose Tyler wants to go home to her family then she has every right to.

 

The Doctor sat up and looked for Rose so he could ask her if she’d seen enough of the penlocks and was ready to go home. He couldn’t spot her anywhere, so he stood up and walked around the rocks to find her. She was nowhere to be seen. The stupid ape had gone and wandered off and now she was probably lost or worse. The Doctor sighed feeling irritated.

 

He heard a scream. It was loud, but muffled and most definitely belonged to Rose Tyler. He looked around and spotted the large hole. On the ground near it was a small piece of white tulle that had clearly been torn off of her gown. He moved to climb down the hole, but noticed that his shoulders were too wide and couldn’t force his way through. He pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket pocket and started loosening the dirt with the sonic waves so he could dig the hole wider.

 

Rose screamed again. “Rose!” He called back hoping she wasn’t too far to hear him.

 

Finally he got through and climbed down into the tunnel. He had to crawl on his stomach to make it into the chamber. Rose was pressed up against the wall, staring wide-eyed at a mother penlock. Perhaps he might have warned her that the mother penlocks are not as friendly when they have unhatched eggs that need to be cared for. He jumped in front of Rose, sonic in hand and pointed it right at the agitated mother. She stopped mid charge and hissed at the newcomer. Slowly backed away, back to her eggs where she watched with weary eyes.

 

“Rose, are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

He turned to look at her, uncertain that she was truly unharmed. She looked a bit shaken up, but was slowly calming down. She was otherwise unharmed as far as he could see. “Come on then.” He turned and climbed back out of the hole. He helped Rose up and out and turned to look at her as fussed over her dirty dress. Rose caught his eye and thought it looked like _he_ was going to spit fire.

 

“What were you thinking? You can’t just go wander off like that!”

 

“What? You’re yelling at me? It’s not my fault we got stuck here! I was just curious-”

 

“Oh you were curious! Well that makes it okay then doesn’t it?”

 

Rose rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m alright, you’re alright, no one got hurt and that’s what matters, yeah?” The Doctor looked a bit less heated so Rose continued. “You think I’m afraid not, don’t you? That I won’t want to go with you,” He looked away from her and she knew she’d hit it dead on. “But that’s not gonna happen. You’re not getting’ rid of me that easily.” She smiled and took a step closer to him and took his hand. “I’m stickin’ with you.”

“The Doctor grinned ear to ear. “Fantastic.”

 

Rose couldn’t help it, she giggled. He looked too happy for his own good. Neither one of them could stop smiling as they walked back to the TARDIS and stepped inside.

 

***

 

The Doctor showed Rose the wardrobe room and let her barrow something so she could wash the dirt off and put on something clean. After she got washed up he let her pick out a room for herself and she got a nap. The TARDIS didn’t give them any more trouble flying wise, though every once in a while, one would find that all of the doors had been locked leaving them to walk into the one room where the other was reading, or eating, or swimming.

 

The TARDIS was smart. She knew that Rose would help fix her Doctor. He was all broken and angry since the Time War and Rose could help him. She just wanted to help speed things along, and there’s nothing wrong with a little help is there?


End file.
